Haan

Chapter 16 - Epilogue

It's been a long lonely month. Things were beginning to normalize in the village. However, many still wore mourning black, grieving for lost loved ones. Others wore dull grays and blues. There were no bright colors anywhere in sight. Weddings and any other joyous celebrations would be put off for three years maybe more. It would take time to get over the disastrous effects of the Plague.

News had come to me that Mi Rae now lived with my family. Dr.Li often visited with Min. They all waited impatiently for my return.

Every evening, Mi Rae would come to the edge of the forest calling out my name. Then, she would wait until dark before returning the next day. Sometimes she wept but most times she just waited in silence, lost in thought. I think this ritual of hers allowed her to maintain some semblance of hope that I'd keep my promise to return.

We both felt haan. Fate was not fair to us. The indescribable feeling of being crushed by regret and resentment haunted us.

Mi Rae hated the Spirit. It had robbed her of her humanity. Because of that, regret, sorrow and grief grew in her with every passing day.

I felt sad and frustrated that I had to leave my family. I was besieged by a huge a sense of loss and despair but I was determined to keep my loved ones safe. Resentment burned in me for the unfairness of it all. Why did the Spirit even exist? I cursed the Deities, it was their fault.

I spend my days lurking deep in the forest, afraid to go near the village and always alert for human presence. The Spirit now haunted me, shadowing my every move. For now, it could do nothing but seethe in frustration. It wanted to take back it's power and search for another host, a more pliable one. I understood that the only way it could was for the host to offer it willingly or for the host to die (without it's interference). It should have seized it back when Mi Rae offered it then, now it was too late. It's numerous attempts to tempt and persuade me in its murderous schemes failed miserably. Now, the Spirit was stuck with me, a more stubborn and unwilling host than Mi Rae ever was.

The two opposing powers clashed within me ever so often, causing me moments of excruciating pain and lasting weakness. It numbed my mind and body over and over again, preventing me from recovering fully. All I could do was endure and bide my time, slowly gathering enough strength for a final push to purge the malignant power which resided in me.

Once I did that, I would be able to go back.

I'll never give up, I promised myself. Mi Rae and my family were waiting for me. I could not let them down however long it took.

Until then, I'll wander alone in the thick forest.

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